Completed
Regan12
44 people found this review helpful
Aug 13, 2011
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
Sometime ago I was on a Nishikido Ryo kick so naturally I placed this on my to watch list. It sounded like a good show but months past and I was never in the mood to watch something so Melodramatic. Until I read a review that said "Surprisingly Funny". I turned on the first episode to see if this person was pulling my leg and I was completely surprised.



The prevailing mood is hilarious as the siblings spend their time swindling people of their money. And even though these siblings have such a heavy past hanging over them their banter with each other is fast, upbeat, and hilarious. Nevertheless the story doesn't seem silly but has depth because of the serious and sad moments when the three remember their parents and the pain over their loss.



So it's not a lie, this drama is surprisingly funny. And cleaver camera work too, you can be watching one scene and suddenly realize in the background there's a continuation of another scene going on at the same time. Brilliant!



"I would recommend it to everyone who likes stories which leave you with a laughing and a weeping eye.." - and I second that.



(Lingering thought: Nino as Ryo's older brother was a bit hard to swallow at first but that's just getting nit-picky on my part)

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Completed
awkward-duck
17 people found this review helpful
Feb 8, 2013
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 10
LOVE this drama. The main reason I watched this was because of Toda Erika and Ninomiya Kazunari. I wasn't a big fan of Nino before but I started watching Arashi variety shows and found him to be very good-looking lol. After watching Ryuusei no Kizuna, I have become a Nino fangirl xD

Story: Great story. Probably the best thing about the show. The storyline seemed really interesting and it sure was. I was relieved that it wasn't very dramatic and was actually very funny because I'm honestly sick of watching melodramas.

Acting/Cast: I think this was the second best thing about the drama. Nino is seriously an amazing actor. Now I know why people say he's the best actor in Arashi. Erika was good here, better than any of her other roles I've seen her in. I haven't watched Nishikido in anything but I think I'll add some of his dramas on to my plan to watch list :)

Rewatch Value: I gave it a 10/10 since I'm already rewatching it even though I just finished it 2 days ago.

This is an amazing drama and I would recommend you to watch it. I loved every moment, from start to beginning and I assure you that you won't be disappointed.

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Completed
addicted2dramas
12 people found this review helpful
Dec 30, 2012
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 6.0
I don't know how I came across this drama, but the synopsis and poster made me check it out. I think this drama has a lot of elements in it which makes it a great watch. There's murder mystery, revenge, sadness, romance, deception and humour all in one drama. A likable cast, good writing and decent direction makes it one of the best Japanese dramas for me.

I expected a lot of darkness (look at the poster!) and some melodrama in it. The drama does have a dark tone to it but it has comedic relief which makes it less serious than it is. It was mostly focused on finding the killer and the emotions of the three siblings. Although their motive seems like they are capable of big actions but they are all soft and kind inside.

The characterization was really good. All three siblings are equally likable and you can always defend their actions. I ended up feeling sorry for them when they reminisced about the events that changed their lives, and laughed hard whenever they tricked other people. All I can say is these three are a lot smarter and stronger than they seem. My favourite character was Kouichi and I loved Ninomiya Kazunari's performance. He can act quite well. Being a fan of Erika Toda, I liked her here too. I am used to watching her as a nice girl in almost all her dramas but when she played bad here briefly, it was different. This was her best performance till now out of what I have seen. I also liked Nishikido Ryo. He made his character relatable and didn't fade into the shadows like an underdog.

And as for the mystery- I guessed correctly in the beginning itself. But later when they were doubting someone else, I went with the flow. The murder didn't seem random neither the culprit. It was added up well and made sense. Things were strung together pretty neatly. They didn't mess up the plot in anyway. Apart from that, I didn't care about the romance because it failed to touch me. I found those parts boring and repetitive after a while.

The ending wasn't what I expected. The morale of characters made a major role in here. I would have changed two major things if I could, but it's alright since this ending makes it different from other murder stories I have ever come across. A cliche would have ruined the whole thing by making it seem predictable, but I have would have liked it better. I don't know if I completely agree with the current one but it is sensible so it's hard to criticize it.

I think it's a great drama and not too depressing to watch. Everyone should give it a chance and not hesitate.

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Completed
Erin
3 people found this review helpful
Mar 11, 2016
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
I started to watch this drama because it seemed like it would be a serious detective genre/type of show, but I was completely surprised with how amazing it was! The plot twists were super unexpected, the comedy and romance were added in just right, and the acting was fantastic! The cast did really well; it was almost a story within a story! I really enjoyed Erika Toda's acting as well, she's an actress I recently started to like after the SPEC and Keizoku series; and the Kagi no Kakatta Heya series, too! Definitely recommend this because of the actors (Ninomiya Kazunari, Jun Kaname, etc...) but it's also a really good show based off of a novel; which in my opinion doesn't happen that often.

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Ryusei no Kizuna (2008) poster

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